search furniture

Type

Color

Material

Usage

News & Media

Dog-friendly hotel furniture relieves tourist guilt

As the owner or operator of any kind of hospitality premises - pub, cafe, hotel or otherwise - the prospect of letting customers bring their pets might strike fear into your heart.

While sharp claws and gnawing teeth are no friend to pub or hotel furniture, the benefits may still outweigh the risks, particularly for hoteliers whose trade relies largely on the domestic market (or 'staycations', to use the recent buzz term).

Research by consumer analysts Mintel found that 38% of pet owners feel guilty when they go on holiday and have to leave their pet behind.

Women are particularly likely to feel this way, with nearly half - 45% of the female survey respondents - agreeing that they feel such a sense of guilt, compared with 31% of men.

Assuaging this guilt could be one way for hospitality operators to increase their levels of trade, and there are few better ways to do so than by investing in some robust hotel furniture so that guests can bring their four-legged friends along with them.

More than a quarter (27%) of those surveyed said they would be interested in staying in a pet-friendly hotel during a future break, with the same proportion interested in owning a car with special pet-friendly features to get them to and from their destination.

Sadly, for one in six Britons (17%), a lack of pet-friendly facilities during vacations prevents them from having a pet at all - due to concerns about who would look after their cat or dog while they are away.

Ina Mitskavets, senior consumer and lifestyles analyst at Mintel, said: "Whilst holidays are an annual highlight for many, they can pose a significant problem for many pet owners.

"For those not wishing to leave their pets at home, it is clear there is significant interest in pet-friendly hotels, with leisure operators already taking notice of this demand."

One priority should be to ensure hotel furniture is up to scratch, with robust modern materials helping to make sure any visiting pets cannot dig their claws in too deeply and cause permanent damage to your establishment's furnishings.